10 Walt Disney WorldMyths Debunked

Myths. The world is full of them. There are loads of tales and rumors about Walt Disney World and its attractions. Ranging from ghost stories to just wishful thinking, these stories have been around for years. Sadly, most aren’t true.

How these falsehoods get started is anybody’s guess, but once something is repeated time and time again people are literally hypnotized into believing they may be true. Modern myths are still being spread like wildfire with the help of the internet. It should come as no surprise that a wildly popular and heavily frequented place like Walt Disney World catches their fair share of made up stories and yarns. So, for those who still naively believe everything posted on the web must be factual, let’s set the record straight, at least where Disney is concerned.

1 The Haunted Mansion

It has long been suggested that the ashes of cremated loved ones who couldn’t get enough of the mansion are being dumped inside so they can enjoy eternity in the confines of their favorite Disney attraction. More than one person has claimed they witnessed a white powdery substance being dumped and spread about by another visitor. Some even go so far as to say Walt Disney’s ashes were spread throughout the mansion.

According to Disney officials, not one single human ash has ever been found. They receive several calls a year from people requesting they be allowed to do this, but those requests are immediately denied.

2 Pirates of the Caribbean

A welder named George lost his life during the construction of this ride. The details of how this happened change depending on the story someone is reading. This falsehood is a favorite among longtime employees at the park who use it to scare new employees assigned to the ride. They tell new people they should expect at some point to come face-to-face with his spirit.

There is no record of anyone dying during the construction, and as far as anyone can tell, George never even existed.

3 Club 21

Club 33 is a secret Disney club that serves alcohol. The club is well marked with a sign hanging by the entrance which merely says 33. Rumors say there is yet another secret club which is not marked. It has been said Club 21 is much wilder than Club 33 which is why it is only for those who happen to be in the know. They claim it requires a private membership to enter, similar to giving a secret password.

There is absolutely no club 21.

4 The Skyway

Once located in Tomorrowland, the Skyway was a cable ride. Some visitors would avoid it because of a very widespread rumor that a man plunged to his death when he fell out of one of the cars. They claim the ride was shut down because of this.

Though it’s true a 30-year-old man did fall from the ride, it was not an accident. He jumped. The man fell 20-feet into a tree and escaped the episode with only minor injuries. The ride was shut down but it was not because of this incident. It was merely a management decision. In 38 years, this was the only occurrence of this type.

5 Andy’s Coming!

This rumor has been spread via internet memes, chat rooms, and many other sources, over and over and over. Rumor has it if someone yells Andy’s coming around any of the characters from the Toy Story, they will immediately drop to the ground as though lifeless.

This actually did happen for a while when the characters were first introduced but Disney stopped this practice out of concern for the safety of their employees. Don’t do it. Other guests might think you’ve lost your mind.

6 Headless Characters

It has been rumored Disney has been sued on more than one occasion by guests on the backstage tour who inadvertently spotted a character without their head on and suffered trauma as a result. Witnessing an actual person with no head might be a justified cause, but a Disney character?

Though there have been two claims of people seeing a character without its head, Disney has never been sued for this. One claim was made by a couple who was being detained backstage for shoplifting and the other was made by a woman who was inside security claiming she had just been robbed at gunpoint.

7 Where’s Piglet?

There is a rumor stating the character Piglet was removed from all Disney retail outlets at the request of the Muslim community who took great offense with any Disney character being portrayed as a pig.

The story was created by a website called Elect Leaders in an effort to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment, and it absolutely bears no truth. There was one store in England where they were asked to not sell the pig, but to anyone’s recollection, this was an isolated incident and probably where Elect Leaders got the idea for the untrue claim.

8 Disney Characters Have to Obey Your Every Command

Character actors at Disney are instructed to do as much as they can possibly do to accommodate guest and assure they have a great experience. But to do anything someone asks of them is completely out of the question. They will do reasonable things asked of them, but they aren’t puppets. Besides this, there are some real weirdos out there and who knows what they may request.

9 Tinkerbell Flying

If Tinkerbell goes an entire night without flying you get a free admission ticket. This is what some are saying. Consider this. Florida is the lightning capital of the world and Tinkerbell doesn’t really fly. She is attached to a metal cable. For safety sake, she does not zoom down the cable in inclement weather, and no free tickets are handed out.

10 Space Mountain is Haunted

Supposedly, a ghost by the name of Mr. One Way haunts Space Mountain. He has been described as a big fellow with red hair and cheeks. There is but one problem with this rumor. Not one single Disney employee, including those who work at the ride, have ever seen him. You won’t either.

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